Voters who headed for the polls Tuesday to cast votes for Bernie Sanders were left with a quandary when The Associated Press declared Hillary Clinton the Democratic party’s presumptive nominee on Monday.

Most said, however, that it wouldn’t sway their vote.

“I felt (the news) was disappointing and discouraging because it made it sound like our vote didn’t matter,” Sanders booster Melody Hopewell, 38, said outside Crest Community Church near UC Riverside. “You still have to come out and have your opinion count.”

Hopewell, and fellow Sanders supporter Jennifer Julian, 38, said they aren’t sure how they would vote in the general election if Clinton did indeed secure the nomination at the Democratic National Convention on July 25-28 in Philadelphia.

With the timing of the announcement, “I thought maybe people on the fence on whether their vote might not matter might not vote believing it was already decided,” she said.

Jerome Krchmar, √59, a Perris resident, said he was not deterred from voting for Sanders despite the Clinton announcement.

“They did that purposely,” he said. “It’s an age-old political stunt. I want to at least support him.”

He acknowledged that his candidate appears to be on the losing end.

“She’s got the numbers, but she doesn’t have the real deal — the ability to be honest,” Krchmar said. “I’m not really that political to be honest. It’s a bunch of liars.”

Sanders himself said he was “disappointed” and “upset” with the AP’s announcement. In an interview with NBC News, Sanders expressed concern that the news came the night before “the largest primary” and that it was based on what he described as “anonymous” commitments from party insiders and Democratic officials.

The AP’s count is based on pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses as well as a survey of the party insiders known as superdelegates who can cast a ballot for the candidates of their choice at the party’s summer convention.

David Morgan, 51, said would only say that he voted for a Democrat in the primary Tuesday, but said he doubts the timing would affect how most people voted. “I think Bernie Sanders,” he said, “has some very valid issues that he raised.”

“I’m still going to vote for who I think I should vote for,” said Cris Banuelos, 27, of Lake Elsinore. “I’m leaning more toward Bernie Sanders. He’s willing to go after the big-wigs and willing to make a change.”

Teresa Garcia, 47, of Lake Elsniore said she already sent a mail-in ballot for Sanders but said she would not be disappointed if Clinton had the nomination because she would still vote for the whomever the Democrats nominated.

Cynthia Dillard, 58, said she hadn’t worried too much about the news since her intention was to vote for Clinton. Her daughter, however, was disappointed to hear that her vote for Sanders might be meaningless, Dillard said, after casting her vote and giving her 16-year-old son Chioke a bit of a lecture about the importance of history.

To Denise Fleming, 63, of Lake Elsinore, is not a Sanders supporter. But the announcement provided one more reason for her to vote for Trump.

“I think that’s high-fallutin’ of Hillary to say that she had it wrapped up, and not giving Bernie Sanders a chance to take California, especially the day before the voting,” Fleming said. “I voted for Trump because I don’t want Hillary. I would like to have seen Bernie Sanders have the opportunity to go against Trump.”

In Kearney, New Jersey, a blue-collar community, Antonio Cunha voted for Sanders, saying the candidate focuses on issues important to regular people.

“I like the idea of helping people afford college, whether it’s totally free or not,” said Cunha, 32, who works for a civil engineering firm. “Back in the day everybody got around with a high school education, but now I can see how much more people make in their careers if they have college degrees. And everybody’s saddled with that debt, so that would be a big help.”

In Montana, Sanders supporter Sonya Goes Ahead held out hope that he could still get the delegates needed before the primary.

“The other candidates are not very truthful. They are in it for money,” said Goes Ahead, who grew up on Montana’s Crow Reservation and is studying education at Montana State University in Billings.

Sanders was the first presidential candidate to campaign in Montana, in early May, when he also met privately with American Indian leaders from the state’s reservations

“He wants to help communities, help bring jobs to the reservation,” the 24-year-old Goes Ahead said. “There’s not many jobs in my home — just the schools.”

In Sonoma, Glenda Winslow, a 59-year-old special education teacher who backed Sanders, said she has cast ballots in every presidential race since she was 18, but she had never been as disappointed in her options as a voter.

Brian Rokos writes about public safety issues such as policing, criminal justice, scams, how law affects public safety, firefighting tactics and wildland fire danger. He has also covered the cities of San Bernardino, Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Canyon Lake and Hemet. Before that he supervised reporters and worked as a copy editor. For some reason, he enjoys movies where the Earth is threatened with extinction.